SubjectRe: [dq] Interview questions for RPG Review
FromMartin Dickson
DateTue, 26 Aug 2008 10:07:33 +1200
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Clare and Helen have covered a lot of this, so attempting some blanker
bits...

On Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 11:18 AM, Lev Lafayette
<lev_lafayette@yahoo.com.au>wrote:

>
> Q: I notice that the Guild's rulebook is based on first and second editio=
n
> DragonQuest with numerous revisions. Could you explain the choice of game
> system and edition, especially in reference to third edition DragonQuest.
> Also, what are the major rules changes have you made and how have you gon=
e
> about making (and enforcing) these changes?


Definitely based on the 2nd edition (1st had the action point combat system
which we've never used as far as I know). There were only a handful of rule
books around when I first started playing in 1985 and many players had no
rules, or just a photocopy of their own college. We approached TSR to
enquire whether the licence to DQ might be available, and while they
declined, they were kind enough to send us a printout of the material they
had on file for the never published Arcane Wisdom expansion, with the Rune,
Lesser Summoning, and Shaper colleges.

In 1989 TSR published 3rd edition, making few changes, none of them really
positive. The experience multiples for non-humans were substantially
increased, and while they introduced colleges from Arcane Wisdom, they
dropped the colleges of Greater Summoning and Black Magics, and recommended
that Necromancy only be available to NPCs.  The college removals appear to
have been made as part of a general policy (at the time) to get demons and
evil-ness out of TSRs games (this was at the time they were replacing
"devil" and "demon" in  Dungeons & Dragons with "baatezu" and "tanar'ri" in
order to placate critics, mostly fundamentalist Christians).

By the time 3rd edition came out we had already stopped using Greater
Summoning (as it proved unplayable), changed Black Magics into Witchcraft,
significantly revised Necromancy to *add*... well *Necromancy*... something
that was rather lacking in the original version, and adopted the Rune
college and Shapers-lite (in the form of Binders), so there really wasn't
anything much we wanted from 3rd edition and its changes were largely
incompatible with what we had already decided.


>
> Q: You've made some extensive expansions to the Frontiers of Alusia map t=
o
> the extent that it is now a fully developed gameworld, with a map vaguely
> related to Earth (although I note that Australia doesn't exist anymore an=
d
> Aotearoa has moved to off the coast of "Africa"!) but also with some inpu=
t
> from other game worlds (e.g., the Lunar Republic, with Dragonewts, a Moon
> Goddess and Glowline is reminiscent of the relevant part of Glorantha). T=
ell
> you tell us how the world was put together, how long it took and who were
> the main contributors?


To quote Tom Lehrer: "Plagiarize, Let no one else's work evade your eyes...
Only be sure always to call it please 'research'". :-)

While the Alusia we play on is a product of the guild campaign, many parts
of it have been integrated in from other game systems, with GMs using
commercial RPG materials from TSR, Chaosium, and others. The first of these
was probably the Thieves' World Sanctuary Adventure Pack that Chaosium
published in 1981; the much reviled city of Sanctuary sits some 300 miles
north of the Guild's home in Seagate and has been the setting for many
adventures. The world of Glorantha is the source of the Lunar Empire in the
east, and the Dark Sun world of Arthas is the basis of the deserts in the
northern part of the uttermost west. Once you look off Alusia, to other
"planes", GMs have run games based in Greyhawk, Faer=FBn, the Cthulhu Mytho=
s,
Torg... you name it... as well as a host of areas and worlds of their own
devising.

Alusia has been an ongoing project since the early days of the campaign, an=
d
a truly collaborative effort. Hand-drawn paper maps were made and circulate=
d
amongst the GMs and more recently the wiki has provided a very useful means
for storing and communicating the pieces.  Our Alusia is vaguely Earth-ish
(in part so that we can use real world information on climate, sunrise, etc=
)
but some odd changes have happened; Pasifika sits in the Atlantic ocean
analogue, and Australia is missing (although the little-explored giant
island of Delph with its dangerous reptiles could perhaps stand in for it).
:-)

Cheers,
Martin

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<div dir=3D"ltr">Clare and Helen have covered a lot of this, so attempting =
some blanker bits...<br><br>On Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 11:18 AM, Lev Lafayette=
 <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"mailto:lev_lafayette@yahoo.com.au">lev_la=
fayette@yahoo.com.au</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br>
<div class=3D"gmail_quote"><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"borde=
r-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-le=
ft: 1ex;"><br>
Q: I notice that the Guild&#39;s rulebook is based on first and second edit=
ion DragonQuest with numerous revisions. Could you explain the choice of ga=
me system and edition, especially in reference to third edition DragonQuest=
. Also, what are the major rules changes have you made and how have you gon=
e about making (and enforcing) these changes?</blockquote>
<div><br>Definitely based on the 2nd edition (1st had the action point comb=
at system which we&#39;ve never used as far as I know). There were only a h=
andful of rule books around when I first started playing in 1985 and many p=
layers had no rules, or just a photocopy of their own college. We approache=
d TSR to enquire whether the licence to DQ might be available, and while th=
ey declined, they were kind enough to send us a printout of the material th=
ey had on file for the never published Arcane Wisdom expansion, with the Ru=
ne, Lesser Summoning, and Shaper colleges.<br>
<br>In 1989 TSR published 3rd edition, making few changes, none of them rea=
lly positive. The experience multiples for non-humans were substantially in=
creased, and while they introduced colleges from Arcane Wisdom, they droppe=
d the colleges of Greater Summoning and Black Magics, and recommended that =
Necromancy only be available to NPCs.&nbsp; The college removals appear to =
have been made as part of a general policy (at the time) to get demons and =
evil-ness out of TSRs games (this was at the time they were replacing &quot=
;devil&quot; and &quot;demon&quot; in&nbsp; Dungeons &amp; Dragons with &qu=
ot;baatezu&quot; and &quot;tanar&#39;ri&quot; in order to placate critics, =
mostly fundamentalist Christians).<br>
<br>By the time 3rd edition came out we had already stopped using Greater S=
ummoning (as it proved unplayable), changed Black Magics into Witchcraft, s=
ignificantly revised Necromancy to <u>add</u>... well <i>Necromancy</i>... =
something that was rather lacking in the original version, and adopted the =
Rune college and Shapers-lite (in the form of Binders), so there really was=
n&#39;t anything much we wanted from 3rd edition and its changes were large=
ly incompatible with what we had already decided.<br>
</div><div>&nbsp;</div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"border-le=
ft: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: =
1ex;"><br>
Q: You&#39;ve made some extensive expansions to the Frontiers of Alusia map=
 to the extent that it is now a fully developed gameworld, with a map vague=
ly related to Earth (although I note that Australia doesn&#39;t exist anymo=
re and Aotearoa has moved to off the coast of &quot;Africa&quot;!) but also=
 with some input from other game worlds (e.g., the Lunar Republic, with Dra=
gonewts, a Moon Goddess and Glowline is reminiscent of the relevant part of=
 Glorantha). Tell you tell us how the world was put together, how long it t=
ook and who were the main contributors?</blockquote>
<div><br>To quote Tom Lehrer: &quot;Plagiarize, Let no one else&#39;s work =
evade your eyes... Only be sure always to call it please &#39;research&#39;=
&quot;. :-)<br><br>While the Alusia we play on is a product of the guild ca=
mpaign, many parts of it have been integrated in from other game systems, w=
ith GMs using commercial RPG materials from TSR, Chaosium, and others. The =
first of these was probably the Thieves&#39; World&nbsp;Sanctuary Adventure=
 Pack that Chaosium published in 1981; the much reviled city of Sanctuary s=
its some 300 miles north of the Guild&#39;s home in Seagate and has been th=
e setting for many adventures. The world of Glorantha is the source of the =
Lunar Empire in the east, and the Dark Sun world of Arthas is the basis of =
the deserts in the northern part of the uttermost west. Once you look off A=
lusia, to other &quot;planes&quot;, GMs have run games based in Greyhawk, F=
aer=FBn, the Cthulhu Mythos, Torg... you name it... as well as a host of ar=
eas and worlds of their own devising.<br>
<br>Alusia has been an ongoing project since the early days of the campaign=
, and a truly collaborative effort. Hand-drawn paper maps were made and cir=
culated amongst the GMs and more recently the wiki has provided a very usef=
ul means for storing and communicating the pieces.&nbsp; Our Alusia is vagu=
ely Earth-ish (in part so that we can use real world information on climate=
, sunrise, etc) but some odd changes have happened; Pasifika sits in the At=
lantic ocean analogue, and Australia is missing (although the little-explor=
ed giant island of Delph with its dangerous reptiles could perhaps stand in=
 for it). :-)<br>
<br>Cheers,<br>Martin<br></div></div><br></div>

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